Caregiver Emergency Preparedness Tips

Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- The Alzheimer’s South Carolina Chapter is encouraging all family caregivers to make disaster preparedness in the event Hurricane Matthew hits our state. The Alzheimer's Association is providing free resources on their website to help caregivers make a plan in advance of evacuations and potential landfall of this hurricane.

Their biggest concern are patients who are suffering with dementia. They said that those patients are prone to wander and get lost and potentially get hurt.

The Alzheimer's Association reminds caregivers to pack a few items:

Copies of important documents, such as legal papers, a list of medications and dosages, and insurance information

More than 84,000 South Carolina residents are facing Alzheimer's and over 300,000 caregivers are providing over 340 million hours of unpaid care each year. Caregiving can be an extremely stressful experience, especially when unexpected events arise or when schedules are disrupted.